Penn women win first spring Philly Soccer 6 tournament since 2017

Penn capped their spring exhibition season with a trophy and some local bragging rights winning the Philly Soccer 6 tournament at Villanova University on Saturday.

Penn defeated La Salle in the final 1-0 behind a goal from first-year player Abbey Cook.

It marked the first time the Quakers have won the annual spring competition since 2017. All six Philadelphia Division 1 programs participated in the event at Higgins Soccer Complex. Teams played two 45 minute games against teams in their bracket and the two bracket winners met in a 30-minute final.

“It’s a great opportunity for the schools to come together and have a healthy competition,” Penn head coach Krissy Turner said. “The games are shortened so it’s not necessarily a true reflection but it was great for us to get to the final and get a result.”

Turner is in her second season at the helm in West Philadelphia. Penn finished 6-7-3 overall on the season in the fall but posted just one Ivy League win. Finding the back of the net was a struggle with just 14 goals scored in 16 games.

“One of the things that we had a challenging time with in the fall was putting the ball in the back of the net,” Turner said. “We did score some goals on the day, which I thought was really great because I think it gives us some confidence in front of goal.”

Cook, who scored the winner in the final, led the team in the fall with 3 goals in her rookie season and was one of the standouts on the day. La Salle had a 12-6-3 record in the fall and were one win away from booking a spot in the NCAA Tournament, falling 3-0 to Saint Louis in the Atlantic 10 final.

Saturday’s event demonstrated a variety of styles and approaches but was also a chance for coaches to give minutes to the back end of the roster with an eye toward the real competition in the fall.

Turner is one of three coaches to take over Soccer Six programs in the last couple years. Villanova head coach Samar Azem has two seasons at the helm and Temple’s head coach Chris Shaw is entering his first season this fall. La Salle head coach Paul Royal, Saint Joseph’s head coach Jess Mannella and Drexel head coach Ray Goon have all helmed their programs for 20-plus years.

“All the coaches get along, we support each other’s programs – not on the day that we’re competing against each other – but it’s just a great group of coaches and a fun day,” Turner said.

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